Series

Connect With Us

On Media

Blitzer: No 'marginal stuff' at CNN Debate

By Dylan Byers

01/26/12 11:08 AM EST

Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney will be center stage again at tonight's CNN Debate in Jacksonville, Florida, and following Monday's tepid performance, Gingrich will likely be looking to make fireworks. A strong performance is all the more important for him given the sudden surge in criticism from members of the conservative media, and given his campaign's recent admission that it did not provide ABC News with witnesses for the network's interview with Newt's ex-wife.

What Gingrich needs is the perception of a strong performance, and so the fact that CNN is allowing audience applause will be an advantage to the former Speaker, who seems to thrive off the audience's approval.

“We like to have an audience participate, so the viewers at home know that it’s a real debate with real people and real voters — that it’s not just taking place in a TV studio," CNN Washington bureau chief Sam Feist told the New York Times yesterday.

"It's going to be respectful," Wolf Blitzer, the moderator for tonight's debate, told radio host Bill Press this morning. "People are going to be able to applaud if they want. But I don't want to see any craziness; I want the audience to be respectful of these four candidates."

Blitzer also suggested to Press that personal issues might be off the table in tonight's questioning.

"I don't want to waste any time with marginal stuff," he said, listing the economy, immigration, "which is a huge issue in Florida," and national security as the primary topics for tonight's discussion.

"I assume that Cuba will be an important issue, we'll get into that," Blitzer added. "We'll get into that, and we'll see if there is some disagreement between Gingrich and Santorum and Romney. But I'm sure Cuba will come up."

Press then asked Blitzer if he had ever seen an election so influenced by televised debates.

"No," Blitzer replied. "I suspect that these Republican debates this time are even more important [than 2008] in affecting Republican attitudes going into these contests."